Eriksson: US tour was fantastic

SVEN-GORAN Eriksson has hailed England's end of season tour of the United States a resounding success as a mixture of the untried and the proven has given him great optimism for the 2006 World Cup finals.

SVEN-GORAN Eriksson has hailed England's end of season tour of the United States a resounding success as a mixture of the untried and the proven has given him great optimism for the 2006 World Cup finals.

It was rookies such as two-goal Kieran Richardson and Michael Carrick who were at the forefront of the weekend victory over the United States in Chicago.

But, while Carrick again blossomed - plus Jermaine Jenas, Zat Knight and Peter Crouch - an old hand in Michael Owen lit up Tuesday's win over Colombia in the Giants Stadium in New Jersey.

Owen may have experienced a frustrating first season at Real Madrid in which he was in and out of the starting line-up but his value to England cannot be underestimated.

He produced finishing of the highest quality to score his second hat-trick for his country and move into fourth spot in the all-time list of his country's goalscorers on 32.

Eriksson came in for criticism from several club managers for organising such a sojourn at the end of a gruelling nine-month Barclays Premiership season.

It was even further maligned after three quarters of his first choice team did not make the trip for whatever reason but events of the past eight days have made it a worthwhile exercise with the positives far outweighing the negatives.

Fears

There were fears ahead of last night's game about the central defensive partnership of Knight and Glen Johnson, who had only four caps between them, but they exemplified the determination of the young players to make their mark.

Knight, in particular, can be added to the lengthy list of centre-backs who are challenging the regular duo of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand for a spot on the plane to Germany next summer.

But debutant striker Peter Crouch and Carrick's midfield partner Jermaine Jenas also showed they are capable of challenging to be in the final 23 next summer.

Eriksson said: "The whole tour has been fantastic. We have played two good matches and won both of them. We have beaten two teams who also might be in Germany. The United States will be there for sure and Colombia have a good chance as well.

"The positives far outweigh the negatives. It is such a great experience for these players to be able to go outside of Europe and win twice. We have seen young players who are hungry to do well and have wanted to show what they are capable of. I am very happy.

"We have played good football but also showed the fighting side when necessary. The tour is worth it when you see what people like Kieran Richardson, in the first game, and Michael Carrick and Jermaine Jenas have done.

"Carrick, whom we have not seen for a long time, played well in both games and Jenas played very well against Colombia. I also like Crouch. You can't defend in the air against him - it is impossible - and he has good feet as well. If you give him the ball, he does not give it away.

"At the back, Knight and Johnson also did well. Colombia keep the ball very well so when you defend against them, if you don't have good shape it will be difficult. We have a lot of centre-backs but they did well."

Do you think the tour has told Eriksson anything new about his players? Have your say.